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Faith schools 'climbdown' denied Faith schools 'climbdown' denied
(about 1 hour later)
The education secretary has denied caving in after he scrapped plans to force new faith schools in England to raise intakes from other religions. The government has denied caving in to pressure after scrapping proposals to make new faith schools in England take children from other religions.
Under the plans, such schools would have had to give up to 25% of their places to those from outside the faith. Under the plans, they would have had to reserve up to 25% of places for pupils from outside their faith.
Alan Johnson says a change is no longer needed after a "voluntary agreement" was reached with the Catholic Church as well as the Church of England. But Education Secretary Alan Johnson said he had now reached a "voluntary agreement" with churches on quotas making legislation unnecessary.
Opposition parties say it is a U-turn and admission policies will not change. Tory Lord Baker branded it the "fastest U-turn in British political history".
They say there is no guarantee that pupils of other faiths will get places. 'Not appropriate'
'Quite unacceptable' The Church of England and the Catholic Church have agreed to "ensure" that up to 25% of places would be reserved from children other faiths or no faith, Mr Johnson said.
Leaders of the Catholic Church and the Church of England welcomed the decision to drop the proposals, which were introduced in an amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill last week. In a letter, he said: "As we now have the support of the two major faith organisations in the country for our proposed way forward, I do not feel the legislative route is necessary or appropriate and no longer propose to lay an amendment to the Education and Inspection Bill."
We don't need the blunt instrument of legislation Alan JohnsonEducation secretary But Lord Baker said he had dropped his own amendment on faith school places after ministers had promised to insert a similar one.
The two Churches have now agreed that up to 25% of places should go to pupils from another faith or none. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he accused Catholic leaders of using "deception" in a campaign against introducing quotas, by hinting that the plans would be extended to all existing faith schools, not just new ones.
Vincent Nichols, the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, said Mr Johnson understood it was "quite unacceptable to force into a new Catholic school 25% of people who were not particularly sympathetic to that faith". He said the government "must impose some means of integration" when funding schools.
The bishop, who chairs the Catholic Education Service in England and Wales, told the BBC new schools could now be planned "fully for the Catholic need" and further places could be added "according to local need".
Bishop Nichols, one of the religious leaders from the UK's major faiths who Mr Johnson talked to, said he did not think setting quotas was a good idea.
'Cohesion duties'
Mr Johnson said the change of direction had nothing to do with opposition from religious groups.
He said religious groups had agreed that all schools "whether faith or non-faith should have a duty to promote community cohesion".
ENGLAND'S FAITH SCHOOLS Church of England 4,646Roman Catholic 2,041Jewish 37Muslim 8Sikh 2ENGLAND'S FAITH SCHOOLS Church of England 4,646Roman Catholic 2,041Jewish 37Muslim 8Sikh 2
"We've made enough progress through the voluntary route that we don't need the blunt instrument of legislation," he said. Otherwise there was a danger of creating educational "ghettos", particularly in more than 120 private Muslim schools which he said aspired to enter the state sector.
Ofsted would inspect all schools on the community cohesion element, Mr Johnson said. Leaders of the Catholic Church and the Church of England welcomed the government's decision to drop its proposals.
He added that some Muslim schools had said they wanted between 20% and 25% of pupils to be from outside of the faith but very few people wanted to take them up. Vincent Nichols, the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, said Mr Johnson understood it was "quite unacceptable to force into a new Catholic school 25% of people who were not particularly sympathetic to that faith".
'Dog's dinner' The bishop, who chairs the Catholic Education Service in England and Wales, said future schools could now be planned "fully for the Catholic need" and further places could be added "according to local need".
Conservative peer Lord Baker, a former education secretary, labelled Mr Johnson's decision the "fastest U-turn in British political history". But Lord Baker said only two new Catholic schools had been created in the last decade, compared with eight Muslim ones.
Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb welcomed the development, saying the Conservatives had always believed the faith school issue had been one "for schools themselves to decide". The latter had not always been inclusive, he added.
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Sarah Teather labelled the affair a "dog's dinner", saying ministers did not seem to know what the problem was that they were trying to solve. However, Mr Johnson said some Muslim schools had indicated they wanted between 20% and 25% of places to be for children from outside the faith - but very few parents wanted to take them up.
Although the voluntary agreement does not affect Muslim schools, the Muslim Council of Britain welcomed it.
Education spokesman Tahir Allam said the compromise was "a good position to be in".
Under the government's previous plans, councils could have told new faith schools to take up to 25% of pupils from other religions, or no religion.
Parents and other groups could have appealed to the education secretary where they felt the quota imposed was unfair.
Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb welcomed the government's change of policy, saying the Conservatives had always believed the faith school issue had been one "for schools themselves to decide".
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Sarah Teather labelled the affair a "dog's dinner", saying ministers did not seem to know what problem they were trying to solve.
The National Secular Society argued that the latest development would not make any difference, saying that it was up to the government to promote community cohesion.The National Secular Society argued that the latest development would not make any difference, saying that it was up to the government to promote community cohesion.
"The people who ought to be having a duty to promote community cohesion is the government itself and it's failing miserably," said the society's Keith Porteous-Wood.
Although the voluntary agreement does not affect Muslim schools, the Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the move.
The council's education spokesman, Tahir Allam, said he had argued against legislation, adding that the compromise was "a good position to be in".